Carlsberg unveils £240 beer

Denmark: Carlsberg has launched Vintage 3 – the third in an exclusive beer trilogy.

Under the leadership of Jacobsen Brewery’s brewmaster, Morten Ibsen, six Carlsberg brewers from Norway, France, Great Britain and Denmark helped develop Vintage 3.

Meanwhile, three artists – Kaspar Bonnén and two artists from the project ‘Radiant Copenhagen’ – joined forces to create six unique labels that tell the story of what Carlsberg City may look like in the future.

The basic recipe for Vintage 3 was developed in Copenhagen; it was then further developed at Kronenbourg Innovation Centre in France and according to Carlsberg, it is the only currently available beer to be aged in French Côte d’Or oak barrels in JC Jacobsen’s original cellar from 1847.

At the end of February 2010, approximately 1,000 bottles were hand tapped and the labels were applied.

15%abv Vintage 3 is a so-called ‘pale barley wine’ and Morten Ibsen said: “The beer has a golden, bubbly appearance. It gives a warm feeling on the palate and has a nearly ‘fat’ fullness that reveals the beer’s close kinship with sweet dessert wines.

“The beer has a wealth of deep oak, vanilla and nutty aromas from the barrel aging, combined with sweet fruits from the fermentation; it is a perfect choice for sweet desserts and cheeses.”

The drink is priced at DKK 2010 for 37 cl. (approximately £244).